Salesforce continues to set a strong leadership example

Salesforce was founded in 1999, and the CMS giant has incorporated Hawaiian sayings and bits of island culture into its vocabulary ever since. For example, conference rooms at the company’s headquarters in San Francisco feature names like “Maka Launa” and “Hala Kahiki.” It doesn’t stop there, though. Employees are known as the “Salesforce Ohana” and every Friday at Salesforce offices across the country is “Aloha Shirt Day.”

From an outsiders’ perspective, these practices might seem fun and harmless. However, in late 2018, a group of employees raised concerns about cultural appropriation. During the last company census, taken in 2018, only 57 of Salesforce’s 21,148 U.S. employees identified as Hawaiian or Pacific islander.

CEO Mark Benioff and the executive team decided to take a second look at their focus on Hawaiian-themed culture. They also conducted a series of focus groups with employees. After reviewing the results, Salesforce has decided to transition away from the Hawaiian-themed culture out of respect for those employees who spoke up. A Salesforce spokesman told the Daily Beast, “As part of our commitment to equality, we have made the decision to move away from our use of Hawaiian terminology while preserving a few key terms core to our company’s philosophy and culture.”

We’ve discussed Salesforce’s leadership in the past but thought this story presented a great opportunity to bring it up again. We’re proud to represent an organization that listens to its employees and always works to improve. To learn more about implementing Salesforce at your business, call us today at (801) 245-0500. We look forward to working with you!

Source: The Daily Beast